Concept:

Modern society relies on an effective distribution system. The US Commerce Department reports that "Spending in the U.S. logistics and transportation industry totaled $1.33 trillion in 2012, and represented 8.5 percent of annual gross domestic product (GDP)." Furthermore, the EPA reports that "packaging constitutes as much as one-third of the non-industrial solid waste stream." This makes packaging an important topic, from both an economic and an environmental viewpoint.

• Find a way to protect a single Pringle chip sent through the mail.
• Work with a partner OR by yourself.
• Make your container economically viable and environmentally responsible.
• Document your process of design, engineering, and manufacture according to educationally appropriate standards.
• Assess your success and compare it to other projects completed at Upper Merion Area High School.

Contest:

• In addition to the grade you receive, we will measure your project in class, calculate its "protection score", and compare your results with other projects.
• These measurements will NOT reveal your grade for the project, and it is possible to win the Contest without getting a good grade, and it is possible to earn a good grade even if your Pringle arrives damaged.
• The contest will make one judgement and two measurements in order to assign a score. The equation to calculate your score will be: Score = (Intact-ness)/(Mass*Volume)
• "Intactness" is judged according to the chart below:

Score Estimator

Intactness	Description	Score
Perfectly Intact	Like it just left the factory	100 Million Points
Slightly Damaged	Cracked, but still in one piece	50 Million Points
Chipped Chip	Broken along the edges, but less than 5 pieces	10 Million Points
Split Chip	The chip is broken into two fairly equal pieces	10 Million Points
Significantly Damaged	Chipped and/or cracked into less than 20 pieces	5 Million Points
Pringle Dust	Too many pieces to count (more than 20)	1 Million Points

Deadlines:

There will be three deadlines associated with the project, and missing these deadlines will result in a reduced letter grade for the project.

• On Tuesday, September 25, a Project Proposal will be filled out in class describing plans for the project and identifying any partnership formed.
• On Tuesday, October 9, a Progress Report will be filled out in class documenting the project's current status, the results of preliminary testing, and which of the Three Rs was the focus of your design.
• On Tuesday, October 16, the Finished Project will be brought to class to participate in the Pringle Challenge.

Grades:

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• Documentation: Good engineering work requires good documentation, and thorough examination of alternatives.
  • An average project will create a form and function diagram for your container.
  • A good project will document at least three alternative containers considered for the project, along with an evaluation of their strengths and weaknesses.
  • An excellent project will perform at least three tests on each container to evaluate its ability to protect its contents.

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• Production: Good engineering work requires attention to detail and attempts to improve upon prototypes.
  • An average project will result in a container that matches the form and function diagram.
  • A good project will be delivered with an anticipated contest score within 10% of the actual contest score.
  • An excellent project will document efforts to increase contest score from first prototype to final product.

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• Reflection: Good engineering work involves multiple attempts, and learning from experience.
  • An average reflection discusses the success or failure of each element in the form and function diagram.
  • A good reflection will identify strengths and weaknesses of the project compared with "industry standards".
  • An excellent reflection will propose a new design in response to "changing market conditions".

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Depth of Knowledge

DOK 1: Recall & Reproduction

• Students will correctly apply the terms reduce, reuse, and recycle to the materials used in their container.
• Students will distinguish between form and function in their container.

DOK 2: Skills & Concepts

• Students will measure dimensions of distance and calculate volume of a rectangular solid.
• Students will produce a form and function diagram.
• Students will compare different containers according to a set of criteria (the "protection score").

DOK 3: Strategic Thinking & Reasoning

• Students will use criteria (the "protection formula") to optimize the economic viability of their container (according to the "protection score").
• Students will use criteria (the Three Rs) to minimize waste (according to the "industry standards").

DOK 4: Extended Thinking

• Students will consider the effect of "changing market conditions" on the viability of their container.